Old Falls Pond is the only place near home where I have found Northern Leopard Frogs. I am certain they are other places in York County, but I have not seen them. On the other hand, I see at least one on every visit to Old Falls Pond…and generally right in the same area. This tiny fellow, the size of a quarter, was hopping toward the pond, across the trail, and paused only long enough for a few pics. While it is an interesting creature all around, I find it especially interesting that the dark stripe on the face runs through the eye. I think that might be unique.

Canon SX40HS. Program with iContrast and –1/3EV exposure compensation. 1240mm equivalent field of view. f5.8 @ 1/400th @ ISO 160. One of the things I really like about the Canon SX40HS is the ability to fill the frame with will small stuff from 5 feet. It makes shots like this possible with minimal disturbance of the subject.

I found the frog on the way in to the pond. On the way out, I almost walked on this equally tiny Toad, which I am pretty sure is just a small American Toad. I used the same technique to photograph it, but by the time I found the Toad, the sun had gone behind clouds, and the this fellow was far less cooperative…it rarely sat more than a split second before the next hop…so I popped up the flash on the SX40 to give me enough light to catch the fidgety Toad in mid hop if necessary.

Even so, the exposure was f5.8 @ 1/60th @ ISO 400.

Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.